(Washington, DC) President Clinton announced today his
intention to nominate Molly H. Beattie, the director of a Vermont
public policy center and former state natural resources official,
to be Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In
addition, the President announced that his longtime environmental
aide Kenneth Smith has been appointed the Fish and Wildlife
Service's Deputy Director.

"Secretary Babbitt and I have placed a high priority on
finding new ways to protect biological diversity without
endangering economic growth," said the President. "The Fish and
Wildlife Service will play a big role in that process. I have
full confidence in the ability of Molly Beattie and Ken Smith to
do the hard work and the fresh thinking that needs to be done."

Molly Beattie has been Executive Director of the Richard A.
Snelling Center for Government since its inception in 1991. She
had previously been Deputy Secretary of the State of Vermont's
Agency of Natural Resources, with particular responsibility for
forestry, fish, wildlife, and public lands. Beattie also served
from 1985-89 as Vermont's Commissioner of Forests, Parks and
Recreation, and from 1983-85 as Program Director for the Windham
Foundation, a private foundation which conducts seminars on
issues facing Vermont and which manages more than 1,000 acres of
land. She has additional experience as a forester, an Outward
Bound instructor, and a news reporter. She holds a bachelors
degree from Marymount College, a masters in Forestry from the
University of Vermont, and a masters in public administration
from the Kennedy School of Government.

Kenneth Smith was a Special Assistant to then-Governor Bill
Clinton from 1989 until Clinton resigned that office in 1992. He
advised Clinton on a variety of environmental issues and
coordinated the actions of Arkansas' natural resource agencies,
as well as working with federal agencies including the Fish and
Wildlife Service. Smith had previously been Chief of Research
for the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Program Coordinator
for The Nature Conservancy, and a science teacher in the
Jonesboro public schools. He holds a B.S. from Southern Arkansas
University and an M.S. from Arkansas State University.